Boxing

David Benavidez's Father Slams 'Clown' Canelo Alvarez

David Benavidez's father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., didn't hold back when talking about Canelo.
Nathaniel Marrero|
David Benavidez before his fight vs. David Morrell.
David Benavidez before his fight vs. David Morrell. | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Canelo Alvarez vs David Benavidez was once one of the best fights that could be made in boxing and one that all boxing fans wanted to see.

For one reason or another, Canelo didn't seem too keen on stepping into the ring with Benavidez. Now, with Benavidez and Canelo holding titles in two different weight classes and the latter joining forces with Turki Alalshikh as a part of Riyadh Season for at least his next four fights, the odds of them ever fighting are likely slim to none.

Still, that hasn't stopped the two from putting each other on blast in multiple interviews. Benavidez's father and trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., took a shot at Canelo, calling him a clown for his comments about his son and who has faced during his time as super middleweight champion.

"David has not accomplished anything," Benavidez Sr. said sarcastically to Marcos Villegas of Fight Hub TV. "(Edgar) Berlanga has accomplished a lot. (Avni) Yildirim accomplished a lot. (Jaime) Munguia accomplished a lot. They accomplished more than David has, right?"

Benavidez Sr. added: That's why he fought them but he doesn't want to give David an opportunity because he's not a champion. He hasn't accomplished anything. He wants $200 million. When you know that somebody is going to f*** you up and beat you up bad, you will put any excuse in the world...He's just a clown in my mind."

Benavidez Sr.'s comments were in lieu of Canelo saying his son has been disrespectful to him and hasn't accomplished anything in the sport despite being a two-time super middleweight champion and a two-division champion.

"He thinks he’s Superman," Canelo said of Benavidez to FightHype. "He’s very disrespectful, not just with me but with everybody and he’s accomplished nothing. He’s not even a champion. He’s not even in my weight class [168 anymore]."

Benavidez Sr. also took aim at Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) for fighting little-known IBF champion William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) for a second chance at becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion on May 3 in Saudi Arabia. Scull became the IBF middleweight champion after defeating Vladimir Shishkin by unanimous decision on Oct. 19 after Canelo was stripped of the title.

“Scull, what the f*** has he accomplished?" Benavidez Sr. said. "Who is Scull? I didn’t even know who Scull is."

Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs), who is now the WBC light heavyweight champion, was twice stripped of the WBC super middleweight title, once for cocaine in 2018 and the second time after he missed weight for a title defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo in 2020. While you can't tell the story of Canelo vs. Benavidez never happening without including Benavidez's mishaps outside of the ring, he worked his way back to becoming the interim WBC super middleweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over Caleb Plant in March 2023.

Canelo was the undisputed super middleweight champion at the time but showed no interest in fighting Benavidez, who was the clear-cut No. 1 contender for his titles. The WBC also helped matters by choosing not to enforce Benavidez as the mandatory challenger for Canelo, though he could have decided to vacate that belt and hold onto his other three titles.

Canelo instead defended his titles against John Ryder, who the WBO enforced as a mandatory challenger, Jermell Charlo, who had never fought above junior middleweight, and Jaime Munguia, whose best win at 168 pounds was a stoppage victory over Ryder before Benavidez decided to move up to 175 pounds early in 2024.

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Even Canelo's last title defense of the undisputed super middleweight title, a unanimous decision victory over the previously undefeated Edgar Berlanga on Sept. 14 drew the ire of many boxing fans, as they believed he hadn't done enough to earn the opportunity and were fed up with him deciding not to fight Benavidez.

Benavidez has since won his two fights at light heavyweight, earning quality victories over former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk and the previously undefeated David Morrell on Feb. 1.

Benavidez was elevated to WBC light heavyweight champion after Dmitry Bivol was stripped of the belt on April 7.

There's no disputing that Canelo is the face of boxing and he'll one day find his way into the International Boxing Hall of Fame after he decides to hang the gloves. Still, a bout against Benavidez could have elevated his already great legacy to another level regardless of the result. And had he beaten a fighter of Benavidez's caliber at the tail-end of his career, Canelo would have cemented his spot in the conversation for best Mexican boxer of all time.

Instead, we'll likely be left wondering what would have happened if Canelo and Benavidez ever fought.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

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